Dwarves
Short, stocky and strong compared to humans, the dwarves have a long tradition of combat that has been their saving grace many times. A race in decline, the last stronghold of a once huge undergroud empire is locked in a constant battle with the darkspawn horde, who have stalked the Deep Roads since the First Blight. Physical The dwarves are a humanoid race who appear to be short, strong, and stocky. Naturally hardy and muscular, they are a race clearly marked out as natural warriors and combatants. Unlike humans and elves, dwarves do not naturall enter the Fade when they dream. As a result, they cannot tap into the magical energies of the Fade, preventing them form being mages; but they also gain a natural resistance to magic and the dangerous effects of lyrium. History Once the masters of a huge underground empire that spanned all of Thedas, the dwarves were the first to be attacked by the darkspwan at the beggining of the First Blight. With the horde flooding the Deep Roads, the dwarves lost control of uncountable thaigs and cities as well as vast swathes of the Deep Roads. Brought to the brink of extinction, and believing themselves to be the last of their kind, the dwarves of Orzammar closed its gates and became the only bastion of dwarven culture. The dwarves had been brought low, but they had survived. In more recent years, it has been discovered that the former dwarven capital Kal-Sharok had also been able to survive the Blight. Relationships between the two dwarven cities are frosty at best, however, and could easily be described as hostile. Even more recently, the dwarves of Orzammar have been able to reclaim many lost thaigs close to the city thanks to the actions of the new King Bhelen. Thanks to the Grey Wardens, they have also been able to reclaim Kal-Hirol, once renowned as home to the best smiths in the dwarven empire. Religion Unlike most other cultures in Thedas, the dwarves do not revere gods as such. Instead, their beliefs are more akin to ancestor worship, thanking those who came before them for their accoplishments. Dwarven philosophy promotes excellence and a deep connection to the Stone around them, which they speak of as being alive. They see themselves as children of the Stone, and believe that when they die they will return to the Stone. Orzammar and Dwaren Culture As one of the last bastions of the dwarves, Orzammar has defined what dwarven culture actually is. Ruled by a King, the line of succession is not necessarily a hereditary affair, despite House Aeducan holding the throne since the First Blight. Most matters are put to a vote of the Assembly, a representation of the noble houses of ths city. The recently crowned King Bhelen, however, has already taken steps to reduce the Assembly's power and give the crown more freedom to act, and whispers suggest that he plans to ultimately disband the Assembly in favour of a total monarchy. The social structure of the dwarves is based around castes, including merchants, smiths, warriors and nobles. Caste is determined at birth and inherited from the same sex parent. While it is possible for one to better their social standing, such a thing is incredibly rare and very difficult to do in the rigid system. Below the standard castes are the casteless - dwarves marked out as criminals or tainted by the criminal acts of their ancestors. Denied any form of luxury, the castless are forced into exile within their own city, living in the slums of Dust Town. Since his coronation, however, King Bhelen has begun to allow the castless the oppourtunity to improve their social standing by fighting for the dwarven armies against the darkspawn. Some dwarves are either exiled or choose to leave Orzammar to live on the surface, becoming the surface dwarves. The dwarves of Orzammar see the surface dwarves in the same light as the castless, and often pour scorn on thos who voluntarily left Orzammar for not being 'true dwarves'. Despite this, there has been an increasing number of dwarven smiths and merchants appearing on the surface, as well as the less savoury mercenaries and thieves. A number of dwarves choose to accept a ceremonial 'death', either for honour or to clear their names and their family's name for a crime or accusation, and leave to enter the Deep Roads and join the Legion of the Dead - an elite band of dwarven warriors who ahve already accepted and embraced their deaths, utterly dedicated to fighting the darkspwan. Dwarves at Fortress of Glass Here at Fortress of Glass , we welcome dwarves as original characters, and also offer some select dwarven canons. Below is a list of features that apply to dwarves on the site: 1) Dwarves may be warriors or rogues, but not mages under any circumstances. 2) Dwarven characters can be from any of the three 'subtype' of dwarves - Orzammar dwarf (including castless), surface dwarf or Legion of the Dead. 3) Dwarven warriors are able to select the Beserker specilization without restriction. 4) Dwarven rogues who serve in the Legion of the Dead may select the Legionnaire Scout specilization without restriction. Redirect *Main Page *Site Backstory *Playable Races *Registration Details Category:Races Category:Dwarves Category:Orzammar